Red Sox draft projectable lefty in Trey Ball at No. 7

BOSTON -- Trey Ball didn't get to pitch as much this spring as others in his draft class. The weather in eastern Indiana didn't cooperate much.

Brian MacPherson Journal Sports Writer brianmacp

BOSTON -- Trey Ball didn't get to pitch as much this spring as others in his draft class. The weather in eastern Indiana didn't cooperate much.

"I remember pitching at night when it was 30 degrees and sleeting out," he said in a conference call Thursday night. "It's been pretty bad."

But the Red Sox saw enough from Ball in his high-school season and in various prospect showcases to make the 6-foot-6 lefty the No. 7 overall pick in Thursday's draft, their highest selection since Trot Nixon in 1993 -- the silver lining to last year's 93-loss season. He's the "swing for the fences" pick to which scouting director Amiel Sawdaye alluded before the draft.

That Ball didn't get to pitch much actually might have played in his favor. He's more projectable -- he has higher upside, in other words -- than several of the other players the Red Sox considered with the No. 7 pick.

Like Matt Barnes, he comes from a cold-weather state and hasn't pitched as often as similarly talented pitchers from California and Florida. Like Henry Owens, he's a skinny 6-foot-6 with room to put on muscle -- and thus to add velocity to the fastball he already throws at 93-94 miles per hour. Like Casey Kelly, he comes out of high school as a two-way player whose arsenal figures to sharpen once he focuses on pitching full-time.

Barnes and Owens now are two of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox farms system. Kelly was one of the two key pieces in the Adrian Gonzalez trade with San Diego two years ago.

All spring long, speculation connected Boston more with college third baseman Colin Moran, high-school righty Kohl Stewart and college outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows. Stewart, Frazier and Moran all went off the board in order at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 -- appearing to leave the Red Sox with Meadows, a multitalented center fielder.

Boston instead selected Ball -- a pick that even came as a surprise to the pitcher himself, who said he'd "heard mostly between 8-14," he said, though he'd had plenty of contact with Red Sox officials during the spring season.

Ball has a commitment to Texas, but he seems all but certain he'll sign with the Red Sox. The assigned slot value for the No. 7 overall pick is over $3 million.

"Anything can happen, but I feel that Boston is right for me," he said.

At 6-foot-6, Ball becomes the most latest big-framed pitcher added during the regime of scouting director Amiel Sawdaye. Owens and Barnes both are at least 6-foot-4, as are Anthony Ranaudo, Brandon Workman and 2012 draft picks Ty Buttrey and Pat Light. The idea is that bigger pitchers not only get a better downward angle on their pitches but they're more able to withstand the rigors of a 200-inning season.

"You can probably look back on the draft history since I've been in charge, and one of the things we've tried to do is bring in some big pitchers," Sawdaye said after last year's draft. "Baseball is a big man's game."

With the No. 45 pick -- the pick they declined to give up last winter for a qualifying-offer free agent like Adam LaRoche or Kyle Lohse -- the Red Sox selected another big-framed pitcher, 6-foot-4 righty Teddy Stankiewicz out of Seminole State College.

A second-round pick who didn't sign with the Mets last year, Stankiewicz went to junior college specifically to be eligible for the draft this year -- an indication he's likely to be willing to sign this year, perhaps for less than the $1.2 assigned to the No. 45 overall pick. He can touch 96 miles per hour with his fastball and throws a slow curveball.

"You can probably look back on the draft history since I've been in charge, and one of the things we've tried to do is bring in some big pitchers," Sawdaye said after last year's draft. "Baseball is a big man's game."